Dominican Republic, Sword Fights to the Death

I saw stuff about this related to Haiti before, where they had a machete fighting art tradition that was being taught. The Dominican Republic shares the same island with Haiti but I don't think this is related to that (they have a horrible history between the two countries...they don't get along and their cultures are totally different).

This takes it to another level though, where people are still actually dueling with real, live blades...to the point where someone is maimed or killed.

Books is "From Machete Fights to Paradise, The Machete Fighters of the Dominican Republic"

Anyone heard about this? According to the book these duels to the death still take place. From Dominicans I've talked to it is true, and happens more often than you would think. Usually it happens in extremely dangerous neighborhoods, places no outsider would dare to go. Places even locals stay away from...where they might kill you for just your clothes.

I saw stuff about this related to Haiti before, where they had a machete fighting art tradition that was being taught. ...
This takes it to another level though, where people are still actually dueling with real, live blades...to the point where someone is maimed or killed.

Books is "From Machete Fights to Paradise, The Machete Fighters of the Dominican Republic"

Anyone heard about this? According to the book these duels to the death still take place. From Dominicans I've talked to it is true, and happens more often than you would think. Usually it happens in extremely dangerous neighborhoods, places no outsider would dare to go. Places even locals stay away from...where they might kill you for just your clothes.

I am very hesitant about DiMarzio's reliability as a source; previously he wrote another self-published mini-book recording a trip he made to Japan and putting forward and endorsing very far-fetched claims about a "military art known as 'Koka Ninjutsu.' This art and the group carrying on the tradition, 'Banke Shinobinoden' have remained underground for almost 1,000 years." (From the book's description on amazon.com)

That e-book also runs 99 cents, so it was definitely way overpriced, given the odds of these claims being true.

This was briefly discussed before. There's a bunch of Haitian machete fencing vids on youtube, and the uploader (generalrelative) posted here as well IIRC.

Yeah I saw where the Haitian art was discussed and looked at the videos. From what I read the Dominican art is different. It seems the art from Haiti is taught by an instructor etc. The art from The Dominican Republic is actually used, they are still fighting each other with real blades down there. The way it is learned is from watching these fights and learning from the people who have actually been in real duels.

I thought it was interesting and unlike anything else I ever heard of (it seems to happen there a lot, not like a freak thing where machetes are used elsewhere sometimes like you hear on the news or whatever) This seems like a tradition.

No, I have a paperback book in my hands.......about a 100 pages or so. Not an ebook (might be on ebook as well don't know).

It goes into EXTREME detail about these fights where people lose their lives or are maimed.

Right. Sorry. There is a website-self-published paperback of that one along with the 99 cent e-book. The ninja book from the same author exists only as an e-book.

But my point, which was about the credibility of the author being cast into doubt by his willingness to buy into and promote a claim that someone is preserving a thousand year old (???), military (???) ninjutsu tradition, still stands. You would be wise to take anything this guy says with a huge bowl of salt.

I did some research, looks like the author has three books out there all of which are paperback and ebooks. From the website:

danieldimarzio.com

The Ninjutsu book is about Banke Shinobinoden and Jinichi Kawakami. The author lived in Japan for two years and studied this art and per the website the claims are backed by the Iga-Ryu Ninja Museum. Kawakami is also a professor at a Japanese University and the Smithsonian channel did a special on him that aired worldwide confirming his Ninjutsu claims. So, looks like what he wrote about has backing...it also said that Ninjutsu group was supported by the Japanese govt. Anyway, regardless if you believe the claims looks like the author is talking from real experience and it has real backing. Not really interested in that so much (seems to be much more on the website about it).

It is a strange jump to write two books about Japan and then write about Latin America and machete fights. But, like I said before I asked some Dominicans about the machete fights and people being killed and they confirmed it is true. I responded with a bit of skepticism and they told me if I didn't believe them to go to the Dominican myself and ask my questions in the ghettos there and see what happens (they said this sarcastically, knowing full well it is too dangerous to do anything like that and if you were stupid enough to do it you might end up never coming back). This makes me think the book is legit.

I think it would be a crazy way to learn, to actual have to duel. But, if guys who had been in duels passed their knowledge onto others then it seems this would be the way most martial arts started way back when when people actually killed each other. It seems like it would be completely uncut, raw material that hasn't been watered down.

Some of that type of learning will obviously rule out stuff that doesn't work. But that doesn't mean that it will rule IN stuff that does work. They may be training in a few high percentage techniques that are effective and quick to learn. The problem that arises is when everyone learns those techniques. Then you fight to a stalemate. At that point you will need the intruduction of new, more advanced techniques. Those techniques wont just appear spontaneously. Someone will have to bring them in. That's why I think the idea is flawed.

I would like to see these systems that are being used. Are techniques listed in the book or just obscure claims?